UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi. I have had KC for 6 years now and have always had RGP lenses which i get on fine with and wear all day no problems. BUT ive recently been given scleral lenses to wear and told my RGPs are no longer very suitable.
But i am struggling so much with them. Ive just about got the knack of putting them in but once they are in i hate it. They are so uncomfortable and i can constantly feel them which makes me feel horrible. They also feel quite dry on the outside. And as for getting them out, thats a mega mission!! Also im used to wearing my RGPs for 13-17 hours a day (because i need to) and dont see how il ever be able to wear sclerals for that long. Im just so fed up with the whole KC thing at the moment. I know i need to deal with it and get used to the sclerals but i am finding it very hard.
How does anybody else get on with them?
Any advice?
Thankyou
Kirsty

Kirsty

Hey there and welcome to the forum!

I'm in exactly the same place, have worn RGPs for 13 years and am on the third day with sclerals.

I find vision wise it is nowhere near as good, but i do find them quite comfortable, so i'm not really sure about where you are? Did your RGPs feel better? As mine was really uncomfortable (i only wore one then) and i always had a sore red eye. So while i wore it for 12 hours and more a day, i really shouldn't have.

I do find with sclerals though that after about five - six hours (don't ask how i got to that after three days lol!) they get more blurry and dry out, so i have to take them out and replace the saline and put them back in.

I know where you are on putting them in though, i haven't quite got the hang of it either, and it's not really with air bubbles, but with positioning it in the right place to start with! But taking them out is fine, have you got the little sucker thing? Cos that is helpful although i take mine out by hand.

Nice to see (as bad as i feel for you) someone posting in the same place though as i was feeling really lost and thinking i'm never going to get the hang of this! Really hoping though that sclerals work for you, drop in soon and let us know! lol!

Take care
Sweet X x X

Possibly you could do the same with sclerals as I do with my Rose K lenses and wear them in one eye at a time. Does not take too long to get used to being sighted in one eye and then changing half way through the day.

Gareth

I've kinda given up with them for a minute as i don't see well enough with them to work, and i'm desperate to go back. So i've gone back to wearing RGPs even though they kill me.

Will try them when i'm not working though as i find them more comfortable, just less vision.

Well we can't have everything can we?!! LOL!!

Kirsty hope you are getting on ok?

Sweet X x X

Sweet,

As you do not get so good vision with sclerals, can this be boosted with glasses aswell?

i.e, Sclerals correct for most of the KC in such a way that glasses can correct for the rest?

Gareth

Gareth thanks for that, i've been told it may help.

Hehe, i guess though that after wearing lenses for so long i just want to put them in and for them to work! That can't be such a bad thing to wish for i don't think lol! Maybe i need to wish for another fairy hehe

Sweet X x X

Hi Sweet, I have the same problem as you, i.e., sclerals don't bring my vision up as good as rgps. However, I do wear glasses with my sclerals and in actual fact I find this soooo much better due to the fact that the sclerals are much much more comfortable than the corneals. I only need the specs for pc/reading/driving so do not need to wear them for the rest of the time. So, I would definitely recommend giving this a go, especially as you are obviously finding the corneals extremely uncomfortable.

When I first wore sclerals, I did swap between the two sets of lenses and by not wearing the corneals ALL the time, my eyes did seem to be more tolerant of them and they were more comfortable. However, as time has gone by, the corneals have fallen by the wayside! Well, I did wear them all day and every day for 25 years before my eyes just did not want those little bits of plastic sitting on them! Take care and keep perservering with the sclerals. SUE

Sue - thanks for that, i think it is worth looking into (pardon the pun!)

Am just kinda playing with both sets at minute, as now after eleven years i have a RGP for my left eye as well, so i'm getting used to that too! You know at one point you don't have any lenses, and then all of a sudden you have too many! LOL!

I think it's a balancing act, and i'll just keep playing hehe

Glad you have worked it out as well! Talk to you soon.

Love Sweet X x X

Am i abnormol! I find sclerals really uncomfortable and rgps very comfortable. But it seems to be the other way round for most others!

Hi Kirsty,

Don't worry about it. We're all different, and it's all relative.

If you are pain free with RGP coneals, then sclerals will feel very odd to say the least. It may take a month or so for your eyelids to get used to the new sensation, but trust me if you persevere it will get better.

If you have real pain rather than just discomfort though, that could well indicate a badly-fitting lens, and I'd suggest calling your fitter.